Technical foul
Encyclopedia
In basketball
, a technical foul (also informally known as a "T" or a "Tech") is any infraction of the rules penalized as a foul which does not involve physical contact during the course of play between players on the court, or is a foul by a non-player. The most common technical foul is for unsportsmanlike conduct. Technical fouls can be assessed against players, bench personnel, or even the entire team. They (along with their penalties) are more serious than a personal foul, but not as serious as a flagrant foul
.
Technical fouls are handled slightly differently under international rules than under the rules used by the various competitions in the United States. First, illegal contact between players on the court is always a personal foul under international rules, whereas in the USA, such contact is (with some exceptions) a technical foul (rather than a personal foul) when the game clock is not running and/or when the ball is dead. Second, in FIBA play, players foul out after five total fouls, both technical and personal. The latter rule is similar to those in use in college
, high school, and middle school basketball in the United States. However, in the NBA
and WNBA
, players are allowed six personal fouls before being disqualified, and technical fouls assessed against them do not count toward this total. However, unsportsmanlike technicals in the NBA carry a fine, its severity depending on the number of technicals the player has already obtained, and players are suspended for varying amounts of time after accumulating fifteen technicals in the regular season or seven in the playoffs.
In most American competitions, ejection of the offender (be he player, coach, or otherwise) is the penalty for being assessed two technical fouls in a game. In addition, any single flagrant technical foul, or a "disqualifying foul" in FIBA, incurs ejection. FIBA rules do not provide for ejection for any number of non-flagrant technicals against a player; however, two technicals on a coach or a third technical on the bench results in his ejection.
Other offenses can result in technical fouls, such as:
Delaying the game (in the NBA, NCAA, and NFHS, most of these infractions incur a team warning for a first offense, followed by a team technical, or player technical, if the same player who received the first warning delays the game a second time), including:
and more technical issues, such as:
Until 2001, the NBA also had a unique rule, that of the illegal defense, which was designed to stop defenders from dropping back into a zone
and thus preventing drives to the basket
. The penalty, after a warning, was a technical foul charged to the offending team and one shot for the offense, except that if the first violation occurred within 24 seconds of the end of a period, the technical was assessed without warning.
Beginning from the , the NBA changed the illegal defense rule to the "defensive 3-second rule," which prohibits a defender from being in the shooting lane for three seconds, unless guarding an opponent within arm's reach (or the man with the ball, regardless of distance). The penalty is the same as it was for an illegal defense, except that no warning is issued.
Additionally, home teams can be assessed technical fouls on their crowd for excessive use of artificial noise
or for dangerous offenses such as throwing items (particularly ice or coins) onto the court.
Usually a fight or lesser altercation between players results in a "double technical", a technical foul on both players involved. If any player leaves the team bench during a fight, he can be charged with a technical foul and ejected, as can any coach that does so without the beckoning of an official. Rules against fighting vary from high school to college to the NBA, but all levels penalize severely for such conduct, to include suspensions and (in the NBA) heavy fines.
Beginning from the , the NBA began to crack down on complaining. Technical fouls can now be issued for the following:
Today, high school basketball (NFHS in the United States) provides for two free throws and possession of the ball, regardless of circumstances, for a technical foul. International basketball provides a similar penalty. College basketball awards two shots, with the ball then put in play at the point of interruption (POI), the spot and circumstances where play was stopped for the technical. In the NBA, the penalty remains one free throw for the opposing team, with play resuming from the point of interruption. The team awarded the foul shots for a technical may select the player(s) to shoot them (this rule differs slightly from level to level and internationally).
In the NBA, any player or coach who accumulates 16 technical fouls during the regular season will be suspended for one game. For every two additional technical fouls received during that regular season, the player or coach will be automatically suspended for an additional game. Penalty for technical fouls is even higher for playoffs games. Players and coach will be fined for every technical foul they received. Those who accumulates 7 technical fouls will be suspended for one game. For every two additional technical fouls received, the player or coach will be automatically suspended for an additional game.
of the University of Michigan
late in the 1993 NCAA championship game
. Down by two points to North Carolina
with only seconds remaining, Webber called a timeout when Michigan had already used all of its allotted timeouts. The resulting penalty ended any hopes Michigan had of claiming the championship.
In what has been called the greatest game ever played, Game 5 of the 1976 NBA Finals
between the Phoenix Suns
and Boston Celtics
, the Suns found themselves one point down with one second left in double overtime
, no timeouts remaining and possession of the ball under their defensive basket after a John Havlicek
bucket. Faced with the near-impossibility of sinking an 80-foot desperation shot, Suns guard Paul Westphal
hit upon an unusual solution. He intentionally called a timeout the Suns did not have. While this gave the Celtics a free throw, which Jo Jo White
successfully converted to increase the lead to two, it gave the Suns possession at halfcourt, and enabled Gar Heard
to sink an 18-footer as time expired to force a third overtime. NBA rules were changed the following year to prevent a repeat occurrence.
An instance where many technical fouls could have been called, but were not (instead, the game was abandoned, a remedy available to the officials when too many players would have or have been disqualified or ejected for the game to continue, or when a team continually commits technical fouls in order to make a travesty of proceedings), was the Pacers–Pistons brawl involving players and spectators on November 19, 2004, in an NBA game between the Indiana Pacers
and Detroit Pistons
. Ron Artest
of the Pacers and Ben Wallace
of the Pistons began scuffling after Artest fouled Wallace hard. This escalated into a brawl where players from both teams became involved, and grew worse after Artest retreated to the scorer's table and was hit by a cup thrown by a spectator. Artest and several teammates and opponents then ran into the stands and fought with fans. Had technical fouls been formally assessed, the result may well have been the ejection of both teams' entire squads. In the end, nine players were suspended for a total of 146 games, including Artest for the remainder of the season.
In a 2007 game against the Dallas Mavericks, San Antonio's Tim Duncan
was charged a technical foul by referee Joe Crawford
for laughing on the bench at him (supposedly "gesturing in such a manner as to indicate resentment," as indicated above). As he had already picked up a technical foul on the previous play, this led to his ejection. Upon further review it was determined that this technical foul was inconsistent with the league's game management, and NBA commissioner David Stern
suspended Crawford for the rest of the season. Duncan was fined $25,000 for the incident.
The most technical fouls ever charged to a team in a single game is 6 (all in the second half), to Aris Thessaloniki in a game against Olympiakos of the Greek A1 League on February 10, 2008.
Rasheed Wallace
holds the record for the most technical fouls received during one season in the NBA. In the 2000-01 season, he received 41 technical fouls in 80 regular season and postseason games played. Wallace also holds the all-time record for most technical fouls by a player with 304.
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, a technical foul (also informally known as a "T" or a "Tech") is any infraction of the rules penalized as a foul which does not involve physical contact during the course of play between players on the court, or is a foul by a non-player. The most common technical foul is for unsportsmanlike conduct. Technical fouls can be assessed against players, bench personnel, or even the entire team. They (along with their penalties) are more serious than a personal foul, but not as serious as a flagrant foul
Flagrant foul
A flagrant foul is a serious contact foul involving unnecessary, excessive, or intentional contact in sport. There is a specific National Basketball Association foul termed a flagrant foul.-NBA flagrant fouls:...
.
Technical fouls are handled slightly differently under international rules than under the rules used by the various competitions in the United States. First, illegal contact between players on the court is always a personal foul under international rules, whereas in the USA, such contact is (with some exceptions) a technical foul (rather than a personal foul) when the game clock is not running and/or when the ball is dead. Second, in FIBA play, players foul out after five total fouls, both technical and personal. The latter rule is similar to those in use in college
College basketball
College basketball most often refers to the USA basketball competitive governance structure established by the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Basketball in the NCAA is divided into three divisions: Division I, Division II and Division III....
, high school, and middle school basketball in the United States. However, in the NBA
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
and WNBA
Women's National Basketball Association
The Women's National Basketball Association is a women's professional basketball league in the United States. It currently is composed of twelve teams. The league was founded on April 24, 1996 as the women's counterpart to the National Basketball Association...
, players are allowed six personal fouls before being disqualified, and technical fouls assessed against them do not count toward this total. However, unsportsmanlike technicals in the NBA carry a fine, its severity depending on the number of technicals the player has already obtained, and players are suspended for varying amounts of time after accumulating fifteen technicals in the regular season or seven in the playoffs.
In most American competitions, ejection of the offender (be he player, coach, or otherwise) is the penalty for being assessed two technical fouls in a game. In addition, any single flagrant technical foul, or a "disqualifying foul" in FIBA, incurs ejection. FIBA rules do not provide for ejection for any number of non-flagrant technicals against a player; however, two technicals on a coach or a third technical on the bench results in his ejection.
Infractions
Many infractions can result in the calling of a technical foul. One of the most common is the use of profane language toward an official or another player. This can be called on either players who are currently active in the play of the game or seated on a team's bench. It can also be assessed to a coach or another person associated with the team in an official capacity such as a trainer or an equipment manager. Additionally, coaches or players can be assessed a technical foul for disputing an official's call too vehemently, whether or not profanity is involved.Other offenses can result in technical fouls, such as:
- Allowing players to lock arms in order to restrict the movement of an opponent
- Baiting or taunting an opponent
- Disrespectfully addressing or contacting an official or gesturing in such a manner as to indicate resentment
- Faking being fouled (flopping)Flop (basketball)In basketball, flop is a pejorative term that refers to a defensive player intentionally falling backward to the floor upon physical contact with an offensive player. The hope is that it will appear to the official that the defensive player was knocked off of his feet by the offensive player's...
- Fighting or threatThreatThreat of force in public international law is a situation between states described by British lawyer Ian Brownlie as:The 1969 Vienna convention on the Law of Treaties notes in its preamble that both the threat and the use of force are prohibited...
ening to fight - GoaltendingGoaltendingIn basketball, goaltending is the violation of interfering with the ball when it is on its way to the basket and it is in its downward flight, entirely above the rim and has the possibility of entering the basket, and not touching the rim...
a free throwFree throwIn basketball, free throws or foul shots are unopposed attempts to score points from a restricted area on the court , and are generally awarded after a foul on the shooter by the opposing team... - Grasping either basket during pre-game or half-time warm-ups during the time of the officials' jurisdiction, including attempting to dunk or stuff a dead ball (whether successful or not) prior to or during the game or during any intermission of the game
- Illegal substitution or entering the game at an impermissible time
- Intentionally hanging on the basket at any time (except to prevent an injury)
- Knowingly attempting a free throw or accepting a foul to which the player was not entitled
- Lifting or jumping onto a teammate to gain a height advantage
- Remaining out of bounds to gain an advantage
- Removing the jersey or pants within the visual confines of the playing area
- Use of television monitoring or replay equipment, computers, or electronics such as megaphoneMegaphoneA megaphone, speaking-trumpet, bullhorn, blowhorn, or loud hailer is a portable, usually hand-held, cone-shaped horn used to amplify a person’s voice or other sounds towards a targeted direction. This is accomplished by channelling the sound through the megaphone, which also serves to match the...
s for coaching purposes during the game - Using tobaccoTobaccoTobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as a pesticide and, in the form of nicotine tartrate, used in some medicines...
or smokeless tobacco
Delaying the game (in the NBA, NCAA, and NFHS, most of these infractions incur a team warning for a first offense, followed by a team technical, or player technical, if the same player who received the first warning delays the game a second time), including:
- Going out of bounds during an opponents' throw-in, or touching an opponent thower-in or the ball as it is held entirely in out of bounds territory
- Huddling at the foul line for an excessive time
- Not being ready to start play after a time-out, or to begin a quarter or half, or when a free throw(s) is awarded
- Refusing to immediately pass the ball to the nearer official when a whistle blows
- The free thrower fails to be in the free-throw semicircle when the official is ready to administer the free throw (unless following a time-out or intermission)
- Throwing the ball into the stands or otherwise prevent a ball from being made live promptly after a made goal to allow one's team to set up on defense
and more technical issues, such as:
- Beginning the game with a starting player not so designated
- Failure to supply the scorer with names and numbers of team players prior to the start of the scheduled contest, or at least 10 minutes prior to the contest under some jurisdictions
- Having too many players on the courtToo Many MenToo many men is a penalty that may be called in various team sports when the team has more players on the field or other playing area than are allowed by the rules...
- If the coach leaves his box, especially intentionally
- (NBA only) playing a "scratched" player (a rule adopted in 2005 where up to two "scratches" are permissible on a 14-man roster)
- Refusing to occupy the proper bench
- Remaining in or returning to the game after being disqualified
- In the NBA, a player may not be ejected if assessed a seventh or subsequent personal foul because of being forced to remain in the game because there are no eligible players on the bench.
- Requesting an excess time-out
- Uniform violations, including illegal insignia or numbers
Until 2001, the NBA also had a unique rule, that of the illegal defense, which was designed to stop defenders from dropping back into a zone
Zone defense
Zone defense is a type of defense, used in team sports, which is the alternative to man-to-man defense; instead of each player guarding a corresponding player on the other team, each defensive player is given an area known as a "zone" to cover....
and thus preventing drives to the basket
Basket
A basket is a container which is traditionally constructed from stiff fibres, which can be made from a range of materials, including wood splints, runners, and cane. While most baskets are made from plant materials, other materials such as horsehair, baleen, or metal wire can be used. Baskets are...
. The penalty, after a warning, was a technical foul charged to the offending team and one shot for the offense, except that if the first violation occurred within 24 seconds of the end of a period, the technical was assessed without warning.
Beginning from the , the NBA changed the illegal defense rule to the "defensive 3-second rule," which prohibits a defender from being in the shooting lane for three seconds, unless guarding an opponent within arm's reach (or the man with the ball, regardless of distance). The penalty is the same as it was for an illegal defense, except that no warning is issued.
Additionally, home teams can be assessed technical fouls on their crowd for excessive use of artificial noise
Artificial noise
In the context of spectator sports, artificial noise is the use of artificial sound-making devices to show the audience's support.In organized sports' early years, noise, such as there was, came solely from the cheering of a team's supporters...
or for dangerous offenses such as throwing items (particularly ice or coins) onto the court.
Usually a fight or lesser altercation between players results in a "double technical", a technical foul on both players involved. If any player leaves the team bench during a fight, he can be charged with a technical foul and ejected, as can any coach that does so without the beckoning of an official. Rules against fighting vary from high school to college to the NBA, but all levels penalize severely for such conduct, to include suspensions and (in the NBA) heavy fines.
Beginning from the , the NBA began to crack down on complaining. Technical fouls can now be issued for the following:
- Making aggressive gestures anywhere on the court
- Disagreement in which a player demonstrates how he was fouled
- Running toward an official to complain about a call
- Excessive inquiries about a call
Penalty
In college basketball, NFHS, and lower divisions, the penalty for technical fouls has increased over the years. Initially, the opposing team was awarded one free throw. This later increased to one free throw and possession of the ball. For a while, "bench technicals" assessed on a non-active player, assistant coach, or anyone else on the team bench were considered more serious and resulted in the award of two shots. (Coaches have their own technical fouls, although they may be ejected and/or suspended if they have a mix of technicals totalling two or three fouls, depending on seriousness.)Today, high school basketball (NFHS in the United States) provides for two free throws and possession of the ball, regardless of circumstances, for a technical foul. International basketball provides a similar penalty. College basketball awards two shots, with the ball then put in play at the point of interruption (POI), the spot and circumstances where play was stopped for the technical. In the NBA, the penalty remains one free throw for the opposing team, with play resuming from the point of interruption. The team awarded the foul shots for a technical may select the player(s) to shoot them (this rule differs slightly from level to level and internationally).
In the NBA, any player or coach who accumulates 16 technical fouls during the regular season will be suspended for one game. For every two additional technical fouls received during that regular season, the player or coach will be automatically suspended for an additional game. Penalty for technical fouls is even higher for playoffs games. Players and coach will be fined for every technical foul they received. Those who accumulates 7 technical fouls will be suspended for one game. For every two additional technical fouls received, the player or coach will be automatically suspended for an additional game.
Notable instances
One of the most famous technical fouls ever assessed was called on Chris WebberChris Webber
Mayce Edward Christopher "Chris" Webber, III , nicknamed C-Webb, is a retired American professional basketball player. He is a five-time NBA All-Star, a former All-NBA First Teamer, a former NBA Rookie of the Year, and a former #1 overall NBA Draftee...
of the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
late in the 1993 NCAA championship game
1993 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 1993 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 64 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 18, 1993, and ended with the championship game on April 5 in New Orleans, Louisiana...
. Down by two points to North Carolina
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States...
with only seconds remaining, Webber called a timeout when Michigan had already used all of its allotted timeouts. The resulting penalty ended any hopes Michigan had of claiming the championship.
In what has been called the greatest game ever played, Game 5 of the 1976 NBA Finals
1976 NBA Finals
The 1976 NBA World Championship Series was the championship round for the 1975-76 NBA season.-Background:The Phoenix Suns finished the season with 42 wins and 40 losses, but beat the defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors in the playoffs and went on to play the Boston Celtics in the NBA...
between the Phoenix Suns
Phoenix Suns
The Phoenix Suns are a professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association and the only team in their division not to be based in California. Their home arena since 1992 has been the US...
and Boston Celtics
Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics are a National Basketball Association team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. Founded in 1946, the team is currently owned by Boston Basketball Partners LLC. The Celtics play their home games at the TD Garden, which...
, the Suns found themselves one point down with one second left in double overtime
Overtime (sports)
Overtime or extra time is an additional period of play specified under the rules of a sport to bring a game to a decision and avoid declaring the match a tie or draw. In most sports, this extra period is only played if the game is required to have a clear winner, as in single-elimination...
, no timeouts remaining and possession of the ball under their defensive basket after a John Havlicek
John Havlicek
John J. "Hondo" Havlicek is a retired American professional basketball player who competed for 16 seasons with the Boston Celtics, winning eight NBA titles, half of them coming in his first four seasons....
bucket. Faced with the near-impossibility of sinking an 80-foot desperation shot, Suns guard Paul Westphal
Paul Westphal
Paul Westphal is a retired American basketball player and current head coach of the National Basketball Association's Sacramento Kings. Westphal has had a storied career in the NBA, both as a player and as a coach. As a player, he won an NBA championship with the Boston Celtics in the 1974 NBA...
hit upon an unusual solution. He intentionally called a timeout the Suns did not have. While this gave the Celtics a free throw, which Jo Jo White
Jo Jo White
Joseph Henry "Jo Jo" White is an American former professional basketball player.-Life and career:White was born in St. Louis, Missouri, the son of a minister...
successfully converted to increase the lead to two, it gave the Suns possession at halfcourt, and enabled Gar Heard
Gar Heard
Garfield "Gar" Heard, is a retired American professional basketball player and coach. He played collegiately at the University of Oklahoma and was selected by the Seattle SuperSonics in the third round of the 1970 NBA Draft...
to sink an 18-footer as time expired to force a third overtime. NBA rules were changed the following year to prevent a repeat occurrence.
An instance where many technical fouls could have been called, but were not (instead, the game was abandoned, a remedy available to the officials when too many players would have or have been disqualified or ejected for the game to continue, or when a team continually commits technical fouls in order to make a travesty of proceedings), was the Pacers–Pistons brawl involving players and spectators on November 19, 2004, in an NBA game between the Indiana Pacers
Indiana Pacers
The Indiana Pacers are a professional basketball team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They are members of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association...
and Detroit Pistons
Detroit Pistons
The Detroit Pistons are a franchise of the National Basketball Association based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The team's home arena is The Palace of Auburn Hills. It was originally founded in Fort Wayne, Indiana as the Fort Wayne Pistons as a member of the National Basketball League in 1941, where...
. Ron Artest
Ron Artest
Metta World Peace is an American professional basketball player and rapper who is currently with the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA. World Peace gained a reputation as one of the league's premier defenders as he won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award in 2004...
of the Pacers and Ben Wallace
Ben Wallace
Ben Camey Wallace is an American basketball center for the Detroit Pistons of the NBA. A native of Alabama, Wallace attended Cuyahoga Community College and Virginia Union University and signed with the Washington Bullets as an undrafted free agent in 1996...
of the Pistons began scuffling after Artest fouled Wallace hard. This escalated into a brawl where players from both teams became involved, and grew worse after Artest retreated to the scorer's table and was hit by a cup thrown by a spectator. Artest and several teammates and opponents then ran into the stands and fought with fans. Had technical fouls been formally assessed, the result may well have been the ejection of both teams' entire squads. In the end, nine players were suspended for a total of 146 games, including Artest for the remainder of the season.
In a 2007 game against the Dallas Mavericks, San Antonio's Tim Duncan
Tim Duncan
Timothy Theodore "Tim" Duncan is an American professional basketball player for the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association . The 6-foot 11-inch , 255-pound power forward/center is a four-time NBA champion, two-time NBA MVP, three-time NBA Finals MVP, and NBA Rookie of the Year...
was charged a technical foul by referee Joe Crawford
Joe Crawford
Joseph "Joey" Crawford has been an American professional basketball referee in the National Basketball Association since 1977 and wears the uniform number 17. Crawford is one of the most experienced officials in the NBA and has developed a reputation for being eager to assess technical fouls...
for laughing on the bench at him (supposedly "gesturing in such a manner as to indicate resentment," as indicated above). As he had already picked up a technical foul on the previous play, this led to his ejection. Upon further review it was determined that this technical foul was inconsistent with the league's game management, and NBA commissioner David Stern
David Stern
David Joel Stern is the commissioner of the National Basketball Association. He started with the Association in 1966 as an outside counsel, joined the NBA in 1978 as General Counsel, and became the league's Executive Vice President in 1980. He became Commissioner in 1984 succeeding Larry O'Brien...
suspended Crawford for the rest of the season. Duncan was fined $25,000 for the incident.
The most technical fouls ever charged to a team in a single game is 6 (all in the second half), to Aris Thessaloniki in a game against Olympiakos of the Greek A1 League on February 10, 2008.
Rasheed Wallace
Rasheed Wallace
Rasheed Abdul Wallace is a retired American professional basketball power forward and center who played from 1995 to 2010 in the National Basketball Association...
holds the record for the most technical fouls received during one season in the NBA. In the 2000-01 season, he received 41 technical fouls in 80 regular season and postseason games played. Wallace also holds the all-time record for most technical fouls by a player with 304.